Cattle and Beef Industry News

There was some early light trade last week that appeared to be setting the tone for the fed cattle markets. In Kansas, live cattle were trading in low numbers at $107 live at midday last Thursday. In the Corn Belt, early dressed trade was reported at $170. Although the volume was light, it was expected that most of the week’s trade would

He will speak at the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) conference Aug. 31-Sept. 1. A large attendance of producers is expected from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas, says David Patterson, University of Missouri (MU) Extension beef reproduction specialist, Columbia.

The quantity of beef available to consumers in the U.S. has declined a startling amount in recent years, and that trend is going to continue. Unfortunately, even higher retail beef prices can be expected for consumers, said Chris Hurt, a Purdue University Extension economist.

Nearly all cow/calf producers will say their goal is to sell calves for a premium on sale day. However, most buyers will say their objective is to buy healthy calves as economically as possible. While these may seem like competing interests, both buyers and sellers can get what they want with calf preconditioning programs.

An updated report on the science surrounding Chesapeake Bay water quality confirms that serious and significant differences exist between the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Bay Model and the model authored by the Agriculture Department.

These are encouraging times for the U.S. farm economy, said AFBF Chief Economist Bob Young. Higher prices for corn, cotton, wheat and soybeans are helping farmers, but higher energy prices are impacting profit margins.

John Harrison agrees weaning and heat are a good way of doubling your problems. The Cairo, GA, producer schedules for an October through December calving season, but that means he weans in June and July. And it doesnt help that cattle are designed without a good radiator.

The U.S. Cattlemens Association (USCA) last week released a joint letter from USCA and National Farmers Union (NFU) to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack indicating the two groups will host a national discussion of the beef checkoff and the programs future.

If producers havent cut their hay yet, I would encourage them to do so soon. Harvest date is the most important management decision affecting hay production. Timing affects production, quality, composition, amount of regrowth, and subsequent plant vigor, Fick said.

Farmers have long been willing to produce for the market, and farm programs over the past 20-plus years have moved agriculture from a managed supply to a mar- ket-oriented pricing system. But when you produce for the market, you dont always know who is going to come to buy.

Beginning in August, beef feedlot operators in Colorado will be contacted by representatives of USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to provide information for the 2011 USDA Feedlots Study.